Baseball

Rascals Blast Otters in Playoff Opener

Sep 03, 2019

O'FALLON, Mo. -- The River City Rascals kicked off their 2019 postseason run in style on Tuesday night at CarShield Field, defeating the Evansville Otters 10-2 in Game 1 of their Frontier League Division Series matchup. Nolan Meadows hit a pair of two-run homers while Brendan Feldmann pitched a complete game in the victory.

The Otters actually struck first, scoring two runs on an error by Rascals shortstop Trevor Achenbach in the top of the first. Achenbach, the normal second baseman for the team, made his first start of the season at the position due to an injury to the throwing arm of Andrew Penner. Achenbach atoned for the defensive miscue in the bottom of the frame, however, driving in a run on a fielder's choice and scoring himself on an RBI single from LJ Kalawaia.

It was all Rascals from there, as they made it 5-2 in the third, scoring two runs on a fielder's choice from Kameron Esthay thanks to a throwing error from Otters' shortstop JJ Gould. Zach Lavy added an RBI single. Meadows' first blast came in the fourth, and he hit another two-run shot in the eighth, after Tanner Murphy homered to lead-off the inning.

Rascals starter Brendan Feldmann (1-0) was nothing short of dominant in a complete game effort, allowing just two unearned runs on two hits, the last of which came in the third inning. He struck out 11 and only issued a single walk, retiring the final 16 Otters hitters in order to close out the game.

The Rascals will look to take the commanding 2-0 series lead tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CDT. Taylor Ahearn is expected to start for the Rascals, and will be opposed by Evansville's Tyler Beardsley.